May 1997

Henry "Pucho" Brown's Latin-tinged soul sound is a touchstone for a good chunk of the "acid jazz" crowd. The Best of Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers (Prestige, PRCD-24175-2, 76:08), another of Prestige's "Legends of Acid Jazz" series, shows why. Picking the choicest cuts from five of the group's releases, this collection runs the gamut from a dead-on-the-one recasting of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" to the hypnotic 6/8 churn of "Swamp People" to the breezy, flute-powered soul of "Got Myself a Good Man" (which features Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums).